Interesting Musical Instruments

I am going to look at two interesting electronic instruments, namely the Theremin and the Moog Synthesizer.

The Theremin is recognisable for its eerie sounds. It was patented by the Russian inventor Leon Theremin in 1928. The instrument is controlled without contact as it has two antennas (frequency and amplitude) which sense the hands. The electric signals are sent through an amplifier.

Owing to its spooky sounds the Theremin has found its way onto movie soundtracks such as Spellbound, The Day The Earth Stood Still and also the series of Midsummer Murders which began on ITV in 1997.

Moog synthesizers were designed by Robert Moog and refer to an analogue or digital synthesizer. The Moog company began selling their synths in the 1950s. During the 1960s the instrument was demonstrated at the International Pop Festival in 1967. In 1968 Wendy Carolos’ Switched-on Bach became the highest selling recording of its time. In the 1970s Rossini and Beethoven on Moog featured in the soundtrack of Kubrick's Clockwork Orange. The first rock recordings using Moog synths were Strange Days by The Doors and Satanic Majesty’s Request (The Rolling Stones) Moogs were also used in The Persauder’s theme composed by the late John Barry.